Last reviewed: September 2026 · By the HVAC Brief Editorial Team · Our sourcing and editorial standards
Employment at plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors reached about 1,355,400 in the latest reading, and average hourly earnings at those firms hit $42.61. Both are up substantially on 2019: employment by 18.8% and earnings by 40.2%.
Separately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 409,670 people in the narrower HVAC mechanic and installer occupation, at a median of $29.33 an hour.
These are two different measures and they get conflated. The contractor employment series counts everyone on the payroll including office and supervisory staff. The occupation series counts people doing the installation and repair work.
The latest readings
| Measure | Latest | 2019 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor employment, NAICS 238220 | 1,355,400 | 1,140,992 | +18.8% |
| Average hourly earnings, NAICS 238220 | $42.61 | $30.39 | +40.2% |
| HVAC mechanics and installers, SOC 49-9021 | 409,670 | n/a | median $29.33/hr |
What the combination says
Employment and wages rising together is not the signature of a shrinking trade. It is the signature of competition for experienced people inside a growing one. A workforce that added roughly a fifth of its headcount while pay outpaced the wider private economy is expanding, whatever hiring difficulty individual firms report.
That distinction matters for how a business responds. A genuine shortage argues for recruitment spending. Competition for experienced staff argues for retention and training economics. Our pay analysis compares the trajectory against construction overall and the whole private economy.
If you see a technician headcount and a wage figure quoted together, check they come from the same series. The contractor employment number and the occupation number differ by hundreds of thousands of people because they count different populations, and mixing them produces a wage per worker that describes nobody.
Frequently asked questions
How many people work in HVAC?
About 1,355,400 people are employed by plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors as of July 2026, a figure that includes office and supervisory staff. The narrower occupation of HVAC mechanics and installers, SOC 49-9021, counted 409,670 people in the May 2025 BLS release.
Are HVAC wages still rising?
Yes. Average hourly earnings at plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors reached $42.61 as of July 2026, up 40.2% from $30.39 in 2019. The median for the mechanic and installer occupation specifically was $29.33 an hour in May 2025.
Is there an HVAC labour shortage?
The national data shows a growing workforce rather than a shrinking one: employment up 18.8% since 2019 with wages up 40.2% over the same period. Individual firms report real hiring difficulty, but that pattern describes competition for experienced people inside a growing trade.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, NAICS 238220, series CEU2023822001 and CEU2023822003; Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 49-9021, May 2025, via the BLS Public Data API v2.
The HVAC Brief is an independent trade publication. We do not sell equipment, take manufacturer advertising, or accept payment for placement in our research. Corrections welcome.
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